


Law and the Strawhats

by lollaika



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollaika/pseuds/lollaika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Punk Hazard Luffy's crewmembers feel the need to talk to Law. One-on-one. Law finds this not as amusing as they do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Law and the Strawhats

Law couldn’t believe that the Strawhats had actually pulled it off. He had never doubted that they would survive, their track record of surviving was too good for that, but he hadn’t expected to actually have Ceasar taken prisoner and some kind of – of truce with the Navy. Though Smoker was almost a godsend, now he could ensure that the Navy would be where he wanted them to be. The plan seemed to work out beautifully, near death experiences not counted, and Law didn’t like the promising quiet, the lull of victory. It was far too easy to get complacent, to let down their guard. So he thought of Doflamingo, of pink feathers and pointed glasses and shoes, of the gunshot that was still ringing in his ears thirteen years later.

He didn’t notice Usopp approaching. But he did notice when the sharpshooter settled next to him and drew in a breath. The Navy was still celebrating their victory, Sanji and Brook were building something with cinderblocks and the snow kept falling. Serenity.  
“Luffy and I fought once. I had left the crew and challenged him to a duel.” Usopp said quietly, but Law still heard him over the shouting of Smokers men. There was something to those words – Law had neither expected the sharpshooter to talk to him, nor to be telling him of what had to be a really dumb decision of his past. But they rang true and important.

“Are you stupid, Nose-ya?” Law asked after a while, feeling like him prompting might help Usopp to say what he obviously wanted to say instead of staring ahead unseeing. He was curious as to what it might be.  
“I had known that I would lose. Winning hadn’t been the point.”  
And yes, this sounded like stupidity. Usopp smiled. It was a smile Law knew intimately, half happy and half broken – though Law had forgotten the happy part somewhere in the past.

“See, when we started on this cruise, when we were still in the East Blue, we had another Nakama. Merry. She was from my hometown. It’s because of her that we got to Skypia and safely back down. We all loved her, but she was broken.”  
Law had not heard of a crewmember of the Strawhats that had been left behind or died.  
“And no matter what, we wouldn’t be able to safe her. Luffy knew that, he wanted to give her a burial. But I didn’t want that. I couldn’t let her go.”  
Law hadn’t heard of a crewmember, true, but maybe – “I hope you’re talking about a ship and not a human being.”

“Fuck you!”

Law looked up. Usopp’s face was scrunched up, his shoulders were shaking. Whether they shook with anger or grief, Law couldn’t tell. He supposed it didn’t really matter. He made a mental note not to insult the ship of the Strawhats no matter what happened.  
“Merry was more than just a ship! She kitted herself back together. I saw her do it.”

Law didn’t believe in the Klabauterman. It was a fairytale told by sailors about ships that had been build so well, they seemed indestructible. But Usopp showed no signs of lying, no grandeur, no twitchiness. Law supposed that Usopp really had seen something. If the sharpshooter wanted to believe in a ships soul, well why should Law discourage his believes. There was nothing gained in angering his allies.  
“And she came to save us from the Buster Call. Nobody steered her, she came on her own. And when she couldn’t carry us anymore, when she broke down, Luffy honored her and burned her down, so that she needn’t stay on the cold sea ground alone.”  
Law supposed that escaping a Buster Call was something of a miracle for any ship. But he still couldn’t get a read on Usopp and it unnerved him. 

“Why are you telling me this?”  
Usopp turned to look at him. His previous emotion, the rage and the grief, were gone from his face. All that was left was a seriousness that Law hadn’t thought the sharpshooter capable of.

“I’m telling you this so that you might understand. I fought with Luffy over Merry, I lost. He still gave her to me after. Me leaving the crew the way I did hurt them – all of them – and they forgave me. All I had to do was ask for forgiveness.”  
A slight smile was displayed on his face, love for his crew was visible in his eyes and Law didn’t want to believe him. Once a member of a pirate crew left, if they were able to leave alive, there was no going back. There would be a lack of trust, a lack of friendship, of understanding. All of those things were needed to survive on the Grand Line and once they were gone, once one had left the crew, caused the rift, there was no growing it back together.

“That’s absurd.” Is what Law said, because he couldn’t find better words to describe the incredulity of what Usopp had told him. Was Luffy-ya such a weak captain that he would allow his crew to come and go as they pleased?  
“That’s Luffy. I’m telling you this so that you might know that all you have to do when this thing ultimately comes crashing down around your ears is ask for forgiveness.”  
“The plan…” Law said, because – but Usopp talked over him.

“Spare me the bullshit. I know lies, Law. Better than anyone. And you sure as hell are not telling the truth. It doesn’t matter. Luffy will do what he wants to do anyway. We are going to come out of this alive and stronger than before. Whether you can survive the same way as us – well, can you ask for forgiveness?”  
And without giving Law the time to think of an answer, the sharpshooter left. Law watched as Usopp joined a smiling Luffy and Brook, singing some kind of song that the skeleton had made up on the spot. He still didn’t know why exactly Usopp had felt the need to share that story, but he had no time to ponder it. He had a Smoker to talk to.

\------------------------------

At least the talk with Smoker went exactly as planned. Law took that as proof that he was still very much able to grasp sane human minds and that the Strawhats just lived a life of insanity.  
He stood up to deliver his bowl to the stack of bowls that already swayed in the breeze because it was stacked too high and then made his way to talk to their prisoners, when he heard Franky shouting.

“Ey, you!”

Law stopped. He didn’t think Franky could mean anyone but him, as anyone else would have been spoken to with a name.

“Yes, You!” Law sighed. He had no desire to talk to the cyborg, but it might be easier for him to just listen to whatever the freak had to say. He sure hoped that not the whole crew felt the need to talk to him, he suspected his brain would not survive the onslaught.  
Franky had caught up to him and came to stand in front of him, leaning down a bit and nudging his glasses back so that he could look at Law unhindered.

“Now listen closely!”  
Law refused to answer to the demand, even though he was clearly expected to say something in response.  
“You listening? Good! I don’t know what your goal is and I don’t really care. I only follow my captain’s orders. As long as you are allied with him, good for you, you have the help of Franky. Which is SUPER. But when you betray him, I will find you and I will destroy you!”  
Law noticed the ‘when’ that Franky had used instead of the ‘if’ and sighed.

“I don’t plan on betraying Luffy-ya. “, was what he said in response, as that was the truth. Franky just looked at him for a little bit longer, then slid his glasses back on his eyes.  
“Is that so? That is reassuring. And you know if you betray him anyway, I might not even have to lift a single finger. Guy is batshit crazy; burned down a government flag once.”  
“I saw him punch a Celestial Dragon.” Why Law felt the need to remind the cyborg that he had witnessed Luffy-ya’s craziness firsthand he did not know. It could be because of the slight note of superiority in the other’s voice, but Law wouldn’t admit to such a thing, not even to himself.  
“I guess you did. I guess you did. Anyway, this was your warning. You do not get a second one.”

Franky turned to leave, than decided differently.  
“By the way we are leaving when the kids have left. Nami and Chopper want to see them off first.”  
Law nodded and finally he was left alone. He took a moment to collect himself and then continued toward Doflamingo’s men. It was time to let some heads roll for the Shichibukai to find.

\------------------------------------------

And then the children finally left and they boarded the ship. Doflamingo called and Law made his demands, the plan was now in motion. He had thought that at this point he would feel a thrill, some kind of anticipation of soon being able to fulfill his goal, but all Law felt was tiredness. He closed his eyes, felt the sea breeze against his skin and let out a sigh.

Law felt Tony-ya approach, which was the only reason that the hoof on his leg didn’t have deadly consequences. That and he kind of liked the doctor.  
“Law?”  
“What is it, Tony-ya?”  
“I’m sorry for thinking you murdered those children.”  
“Well, I was cutting them up. I very easily could’ve killed them.”  
“That is not reassuring!” the little reindeer almost screamed into Law’s ear. Law smiled despite himself. Seeing an indignant reindeer was just too precious a sight to not smile a little at. Chopper though backed away as if scared or embarrassed. Law supposed his smile could be scary – he didn’t practice it in front of a mirror and there was little reason for him to smile anyway. He usually ended up looking homicidal.

They shared a moment of silence.  
“Thank you.” Chopper finally said into the stillness.  
“For what?”  
“For saving Luffy.”  
Law closed his eyes again for a bit.

“Don’t thank me for what I did on a whim.” Is what he said, because he himself had no simple answer as to why he had done that.  
“I’m thanking you for doing my job when I could not. I know it must have been a rather messy and difficult operation, judging from the scar.”  
Law could in fact still hear the sound of the machinery forcing Luffy to breathe, could remember restarting the Strawhat’s heart two times and wondering where he would get enough blood from.

“Most interesting operation I ever did. I wasn’t sure he would survive.” Is what he said, because there was no need to tell Tony-ya the gory details when he clearly cared for Luffy-ya.  
“Luffy always pulls through.” There was a conviction in the reindeer’s voice that Law envied. His only conviction was one of impending doom. But Tony-ya was a doctor in the purest sense. Had he been born human, hospitals would have fought to get him to work for them. In a way it was tragic that he had been born a reindeer. His reach as a pirate was far more limited than as an official doctor. He could’ve helped so many more people. But reality didn’t care about such things and now Strawhat had one of the rare doctors that took the Hippocratic Oath to heart.

“So you keep telling me.”  
“Well, it’s the truth. He did it for all of us; he will do it for you.”  
It was an empty promise, Law felt. There was nobody that could pull through for him, not anymore. He’d have to extend his own hand first for that to happen. But he didn’t feel like pointing that out to the strangely optimistic reindeer, so he was glad when Chopper continued to talk.

“Oh by the way, is there anything about that operation I should know?”  
Law thought about it for a moment. There had been so many complications during the procedure, but…  
“The scar is the only thing that remains. Rubber is surprisingly difficult to mark up lastingly.”  
“You sound like you tried that!” Tony-ya squawked. Law smiled his homicidal smile.  
“Who says I didn’t?”  
And with that he left the little reindeer at the railing to settle himself down at the mast. He had to admit the Sunny was a beautiful ship. And comfortable. He should rest, before they reached Dressrosa. He would need to be at full battle strength. So he closed his eyes, breathed in deeply and forced himself to relax.

\----------------------------------------

His being alone didn’t last long. When the shadow fell over him, Law opened his eyes to see Nico Robin towering over him.  
“May I sit next to you?” She looked at him questioningly. Law supposed it wouldn’t hurt to talk to her, and if he were honest, he was interested in what she had to say. Nico Robin was a smart and knowledgeable woman. On the whole ship she was the one who had the most chance at seeing through his motives.  
“Feel free.” He said, and gestured to his left, not feeling like giving up his spot in the sun. She smiled and sat down. It took a while for her to say anything.

“You know that Luffy is going to fight Doflamingo.”  
Law did not know any such thing. He could see that the potential of that fight happening if the two met was fairly high, but that was why he planned on not letting them meet at all.  
“That is not the plan.” He said, because Robin was a woman who knew plans and could appreciate them. All she did was laugh, though, and now she had Law’s full attention. 

“Plans don’t matter to him. He might have captured Ceasar as you asked but Luffy is used to fighting for his friends and morals without taking prisoners.”  
She closed her eyes, a little smile tugging at her lips as if she were remembering a past event fondly. Law watched her, silently. He had heard of Nico Robin at a very young age, her name always preceding something that was wrong with the world, a new organization destroyed, with only her being able to get away from the government. Interest in meeting her had always been there for Law, maybe to talk about the wretchedness of the world, or maybe just to meet a kindred, tortured soul. Looking at Nico Robin now, one had to look closely to see the demons of her past.

“You know, Luffy has always fulfilled his objective, he has never lost a fight he picked.”  
Law’s eyebrows drew together involuntarily as he pondered how she could have meant that, no matter how he looked at it, her statement was wrong.  
“I was at Sabaody. I saved him at Marineford. He has lost plenty of times.”  
“Did he?” Robin asked and chuckled at his confused face. At least Law thought it was his face that caused her to chuckle, which was a new reaction for him, but it wasn’t going to deter him from getting an explanation. He waited.

“His goal at Sabaody was for us to get away alive. I would say that we got away spectacularly and as you can see we all survived. His goal at Marineford was to save Ace from execution. He achieved that as well. Sure, Ace died, but he very much was not executed. Instead he died rescuing his brother. There is a huge difference between an active death and a passive death.”  
She paused to draw in a breath; the hurt for her captain shining through her words. Law’s throat had closed up; he didn’t know what to say. He could only listen.

“Luffy has fought against two Shichibukai and won, he has fought against a god and won, and he has obliterated CP9, declared war against the government and faced, as well as survived, a Buster Call just to safe me. He broke in and out of Impel Down. Luffy will fight Doflamingo and he will win.”  
Now she looked him directly in the eyes, halting his thoughts as if it were an easy task to do. Law seldom was afraid, the vendetta of his life having slowly scratched away all emotional responses, all but hurt and anger. If Law were to describe fear, however, he would describe this feeling of immobility caused by staring, honest eyes.

“I know that you are not telling us everything. That is alright. We don’t know the enemy, as well as you do. We don’t know what Devil Fruits they have eaten. I am sure that everything you tell us to do has its reason. You are a smart person. Just don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work out how you planned it.”  
She released him from her stare, looked up to the sky, smiled at him and then rose to leave him. She was halfway to the stairs when he called after her.

“Nico-ya?”  
“Yes?” She paused, turning to him. He did not look at her. Instead he looked at his hands, at the ever tattooed reminder of what they were capable of.  
“Why are you sailing with him?” Is what he asked, because it was the thing about her that bothered him the most to not understand. She smiled.  
“Belief.”  
That did not help Law understand in the slightest.

\------------------------------------

What followed his conversation with Robin was one of the most unhelpful planning sessions Law had ever been a part of. Granted there hadn’t been many, but usually people listened during planning and weren’t running off to eat bread of all things. Law didn’t even like bread! And he had no idea why he had said that out loud, other than that it was the truth and the Strawhat’s carefree, idiotic mannerisms tore down the walls of his self control. They were tiring.

Law did not go to the kitchens; there was no need if he wouldn’t eat what was there anyway and he could use the time to rest. So he sat down at the mast once more to relax and once more he was disturbed. Though, Sanji’s steps were much louder than Robins, so this time Law had more time to prepare himself for the upcoming conversation. What he hadn’t expected was the plate being pushed into his hands forcefully.

“Here. Eat.” The cook said, while fishing for a cigarette.  
“What’s this?” Law asked stupidly, because it was very obvious what it was and that wasn’t his question anyway.  
“You don’t like bread, right? I made some onigiri. Eat.” The cook lit his cigarette. Law decided to let the lecture on the dangers of smoking go as he sensed that it was a lost cause and instead eat what had been given to him.  
“Thanks.”, he said, because being polite to the person providing you with food was common sense. He had no desire to be poisoned.  
“It’s my job.” Sanji shrugged and blew out the smoke before taking another drag. They stood there in silence until Law had finished half of the plate. It was good. Very good, actually.

“Could you answer me a question?” he asked, Robins answer still playing in his mind and refusing to let go.  
“Hm?”  
“Why do you follow him?”  
And that was the question, wasn’t it? Monkey D. Luffy wasn’t your typical captain, hell; he wasn’t even your typical pirate. What kind of people were his crew that they followed a person with such childish reasoning and such poor understanding of the way of the world? True, he had picked and won many fights and Law believed that Strawhat and his crew would be able to pull off the destruction of a factory of which they had no idea where it was, but still… The results were undeniable, yes, but the reasons – Law couldn’t understand the reasons, and he who had made such an effort to understand even the smallest detail of life to better manipulate it, inside and outside of his room, felt it like an itch somewhere in his brain where he couldn’t reach to scratch.

“Why do you ask?” Blackleg asked and Law wondered on how to explain.  
“He’s not exactly the leading type.” Is what he settled on, because that was a truth easy to see.  
“Isn’t he? When you look at our crew…” Sanji looked into the sky, taking another drag of his cigarette: “none of us are pushovers. None of us like to take orders. You don’t seem the type as well. But Luffy – Luffy doesn’t give us orders. He gave us dreams.”  
That was not an explanation. It was even more confusing than Robins: “Belief.”, had been.

“Dreams?” he prompted, because Sanji didn’t look like he wanted to say more and Law was not willing to let that go.  
“I want to find All Blue.”, was what Sanji said. And of course Law had heard of it, the miraculous sea, but he had never met a person who had openly admitted of searching for it. Law himself didn’t believe in it, the way the world was built it would make no sense for the All Blue to exist anywhere.  
“Most people,” Sanji continued: “laugh when they hear that. But I know it is out there. Luffy believes that I will find it.”  
And Law thought he was beginning to understand.

“That’s… not the answer I was expecting.” He said. Sanji smiled.  
“But it’s the truth. It will happen to you, too, you know?”  
“What?” Law asked still pondering over the insights he had gained from Sanji’s answer and the new questions it had raised.  
“The dream. Everyone around Luffy picks one up. He even gave one kid the dream of becoming a Navy Admiral and capturing Luffy while still respecting the hell out of him. And Luffy expects him to make it.”

“I haven’t had a dream for a long time.” Law said quietly. Blackleg still heard him.  
“Then it’s time you get one, idiot.”  
Sanji finished his cigarette, flicked the butt into the sea and walked away still talking to Law.  
“When you finish those onigiri just take the plate to the kitchens. I’ll clean it up.”  
Law nodded and then went back to pondering and eating. Maybe, he thought, maybe he would never understand the Strawhats. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to understand. 

\---------------------------------------

It wasn’t long before the crew came out of the kitchen to scatter about the ship. Brook came straight towards him and it seemed as if the whole crew actually did want to have a one-on-one with him.  
“Excuse me.”  
Law didn’t respond. He still had a mouthful of onigiri to chew down and the skeleton had sat down already without waiting for the answer.  
“How do you like your stay on the ship so far, Law-kun?”  
Law raised an eyebrow at Brook. Did that guy really think that he was in the mood for small talk? But his expression did nothing to discourage Brook from talking.  
“Not very talkative, I see. Don’t worry, I don’t mind.”

The Strawhat took out a violin, from who the hell knew where, and started to play a tune that nudged at the corners of Laws mind but wasn’t the right tempo or key for him to recognize. After a few minutes of not figuring it out, Law needed something to distract him.  
“How did you become a skeleton?” was the question he settled on, as he was actually interested in the medical implications of a walking, talking skeleton.  
“Devil fruit. It tied my soul to this world so that I might find my body again after my death. Only, I took too long and all that was left was bones! Yohohoho!”  
“That does explain the medical oddity. How old are you then.” Law knew that Brook was thought to be Brook of the Rumbar pirates, and well a skeleton wouldn’t age, but what the world government believed and what was true often were two separate things.  
“I don’t know exactly. But the lines on my face count more than seventy years. Even though I have no lines! Skulljoke! Yohohoho!”  
Mark the government down as correct on that then.

“You don’t mind sailing with a crew full of teenagers?” Law asked, because a man having lived for so long surely would be unnerved by the crew as well – though Brook being part of the crew kind of screwed up that thought.  
“Aren’t you a teenager yourself, Law-kun?”  
“I am over twenty!” was the only response that Law could form and promptly berated himself for. If he wanted to be seen as an adult he should stop reacting like an overly grown child.  
“Ah! I see! Though, I have no eyes to see with!”  
Law buried his head into his hands in a fast motion. He would not admit to facepalming, he would not.  
“But alas, I do not mind. I am enjoying it to be honest. I used to be a captain, before I died. The strongest person aboard the ship. On this ship I am nowhere near as strong as Sanji, Zoro or Luffy-kun. But I do not mind. Within this crew your fighting strength does not determine your worth. We all fulfill our roles on this ship; we all are worth the same.”  
That was… a rather good explanation, Law supposed. He hadn’t expected to get it from Brook of all people, but the Strawhat crew would apparently never fail to prove his predictions wrong.

“What is your job?” he asked instead, because he had not yet seen Brook do anything remarkable on the ship.  
“Hm?” Law had the distinct impression that he was being blinked at. Even though, the person looking at him had no eyelids to blink with. And apparently horrible jokes were susceptible to osmosis. He had to get away from this crew. Soon. Or he might lose all of his self control.  
“Luffy-ya is the captain. Zoro is the first mate. Blackleg-ya is the cook, Nami-ya is the navigator. Tony-ya is the doctor, Franky the shipwright. Usopp is the sniper, and Nico-ya is the one who collects the intelligence. What are you?”  
“Comedic relief. Yohohoho!”  
Law looked at the obviously happily swaying skeleton, almost seeing sparkles appear behind his afro.

“You are insane.” he said, because he felt it needed to be said.  
“My heart gave up on sanity a long time ago. Even though I have no heart to give it up with! Yohohoho! I advise you to do the same, if you want to sail with us, Law-kun.”  
And with that Brook dashed towards his captain, now finally playing the melody he had been playing the whole time in the right key and tempo for Law to recognize. It was Bink’s Sake. Law watched several crewmembers join in the singing until he felt himself softly humming along.  
“I have never known sanity, Brook-ya.” Law muttered under his breath.

\--------------------------------

His plate was devoid of all food. He supposed now would be a good time to take it to the kitchen, when they should be empty. He rose and made his way up the stairs, marveled a little at the workmanship of the Sunny, found the kitchens easily, left his plate on a pristine counter – everything else had apparently already been cleared away – and was about to make his way back to the mast again, when the kitchen door opened and closed. Law heard a tiny click. He didn’t know if the door to the kitchen could be sealed shut, but the click made him wary anyway. He turned to see Nami, hands behind her back and back to the door. Yes, he probably was sealed in with the navigator, if one did not account for his ability. Law sincerely believed that Nami had accounted for his ability, as she was rather smart, and that the closed off door was to keep other people out and not to keep him in.  
She gestured toward a chair, and Law, feeling charitable, sat down. He didn’t look at her but he heard her bustling around and finally had a cup of tea placed in front of him. She took her own cup to settle herself opposite of him. They waited a little until the tea had cooled down and when he took his first sip she talked.

“I betrayed him once.”  
She didn’t look at him. Her finger kept moving along the teacup.  
“Hmm?”  
“Luffy. I betrayed him once.”  
Well, that was certainly news for him. First a crewmember had told him of dueling the captain, now another told him about betraying him. It was a wonder this crew had survived and held together for these past years. He took another sip of his tea which was delicious, and waited patiently for her to talk.

“I used to be a thief. I stole mainly from pirates. I had made a deal with Arlong to buy my village and its people from him.”  
Law had heard of Arlong, though not much. Judging by what Nami said, he didn’t really want to know more.  
“When I met Luffy I was close to having acquired the sum of money I needed. I teamed up with him to get home faster, because he let me decide the route. Luffy doesn’t look at maps, if he hasn’t heard of an island or seen it, he doesn’t know that it exists. It was easy to sail towards my home. And, when he left the ship for a little while, when I was alone on the Merry for the first time, I sailed away. With all of his things still on board. Care to guess what he did?”  
She looked at him then, for the first time. Her grip on her cup was so strong that her knuckles had turned pale.

“Not really.” He answered, because whatever he would have guessed it would have been wrong anyway.  
“He followed me. And he didn’t take any action until I asked him for help. And then he destroyed my personal hell.”  
She took a sip of her cup and Law let her words sink in. It sounded too simple, too good to be the truth, but Law thought most stories about Luffy-ya would sound that way. Nami put her cup down and pushed it away from her, before leaning forward.

“He forgave me for betraying him, he will forgive you. But make no mistake. The rest of us only follow his word. And when you hurt him, and we do not hear him forgiving you – well, let’s just say the end of the world is still not far away enough for you to be safe.”  
She stood up then and left Law sitting alone in the kitchen, tea cold in his cup. Somehow, Law thought, even though the strongest crewmembers were men, the two women were the scariest.  
At least now only Zoro was left. Law didn’t look forward to that talk but he supposed it was inescapable. He left the kitchen to sit down at the mast, as he had wanted to do before Nami had cornered him and waited. And waited. And waited.

\-------------------------------

He waited a surprisingly long time, but at last Zoro came towards him. And went straight past. Law watched as the first mate settled himself down at the railing.  
“Have you not come to promise me a gruesome death for when I betray your captain, as well, Pirate Hunter Zoro?” Law couldn’t help but ask.  
“I have come to sleep.” came the slightly annoyed sounding reply.  
“That’s surprising.”  
“Not really.” Zoro shrugged his shoulders. And Law knew better than to apply common knowledge or, dare he, logic to the Strawhats, but –  
“No, it is. The first mate of a ship not making sure that an alliance is sound? Surprising is the nicest word I found to describe it.”  
“I don’t care.”  
“About what?”  
“Whether you are ally or enemy. I don’t care.”

Well, that was just an ignorant attitude to take. Now Law was kind of offended. He even admitted that to himself for what Zoro had said had clearly been offensive.  
“And why is that?” Law thought about maybe detaching the first mates arm, just to make him rethink, but the rest of the crew probably would not appreciate it. Well, maybe the cook.  
“Luffy is going to be the pirate king. If you are standing in his way to that, one of us will take you down. It doesn’t even have to be Luffy or me or that damned cook. Robin stands a fighting chance against you and your abilities and there is no way that you could cut up Brook’s soul. Nami could probably outwit you, though if she were caught up in one of your spheres I admit that she would probably lose.”  
“Such confidence.” Law muttered. He didn’t know if he could win against Luffy-ya if the boy would go all out. But he was certain that he could easily win against the rest of the crew.

“Not really. If they are going to be part of Luffy’s crew the simple truth is that they have to be able to hold their own. Otherwise we’d never survive whatever fight he chooses to pursue. And he will go after the strongest and most dangerous ones. He finds fighting them entertaining.”  
“It is a miracle that you made it this far.” Law stated. Zoro snorted.

“Do you know how Luffy got that strawhat that everyone keeps calling him after?”  
“I do not.” Law had wondered, sometimes. But he had always put questions such as these away; they were not conductive to growth.  
“He got it from Red Hair Shanks. They met when Luffy was still a child. Apparently Shanks gave his arm to save Luffy and then gave him the hat when he left. Luffy says that it’s a promise for them to meet again when he has become strong enough to win against Red Hair.”  
That certainly was not the answer Law had been expecting. This kept happening to him. But for a Yonko to lose an arm to safe a child – well maybe Shanks was just as crazy as Luffy was. That would certainly be a logical conclusion.

Zoro closed his eyes.  
“I don’t care whether you are his ally or not. Luffy is going to be the Pirate King. The list of people he wants to fight is long and all of them are more impressive than you. But I am telling you right now that betraying him is the stupidest thing you could do. Because right now the safest place on the whole grand line is by Luffy’s side. He won’t lose.”

And then Zoro stopped talking and started snoring and Law – well Law wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first fanfiction ever posted. And it's One Piece (I hadn't expected that), but well, I enjoyed it and I hope you enjoyed it, too.  
> Thanks smurf, for the amazing Beta, let me know if I should return the favour.


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